Chapter 664: 4-1 vs 3
"Now come on! Let's go! Bring it on!!"
An ultra-close-range brawl is a battle of souls; it demands power, technique, and above all else, guts.
Power to draw aggro! To turn the "Golden Age"'s aggro toward me, I need to generate more hate than Saina. That's exactly why I'm using an irregular application of Fading Mirror—not thinking of it as discarding aggro, but rather placing aggro. There are two types of aggro control: doing it to make yourself safe... or exposing yourself to danger to keep others safe.
But remember this, Imperial Majesty: if I feel like it, I can become an evasion tank too. Don't you dare take your eyes off this furious aggro generation made possible by rapidly cycling "Fool" skills.
Technique to survive! Aggro means hatred and attention; the higher I raise it, the more its attacks will concentrate on me. I'm talking about the sword-claws, which now have full permission to use that "Holy Sword" and those scythes.
It masterfully wields claws that can inflict crushing damage just by snapping open with sheer momentum, and if I let my guard down for even a fraction of a second, the "Holy Sword" will swing down from the heavens to deliver death. But I can't run away. Partly to gather aggro, but mostly because the worst move it could use right now is the scorpion ultimate attack used by every entity except the Elder... stretching its tail out for a 360-degree spin. It's a traditional technique used even by the beam-firing Alexand Scorpion. It's not impossible to dodge, but Saina, who is currently in her setup motion, can't. In other words, an ultra-close-range brawl is the only way; there is no distance other than point-blank that prevents the great spin from triggering.
And the essential component required to pull all this off is guts! Reality means that fear is also real; there isn't a single martial artist out there who has fought a scorpion larger than a heavy-duty truck. When fantastical fiction acquires reality, it gives birth to fresh terror; fully accepting, swallowing, and overcoming that terror is what leads to the highest-ranked results.
"My experiences with non-human avatars! This is exactly when they come in handy!!"
A dog, a rhinoceros beetle, a Thomson's gazelle, a cheetah, and on the weirder end, ice cream. Wait, what about ice cream... Has that ever been useful? Is blazing-hot tempura armor ever going to be useful, past or future? Whatever, the important thing is that it helps me grasp "how monsters move."
I've never been a scorpion... No, wait! I've been a crayfish and a spider, so if I combine and reinforce those experiences, I can do this!!
Look over here, you've got an annoying piece of prey right in front of you! The probability of hitting with the "Holy Sword" on the first move is low. In that case, using the sword-claws is the standard play, right? It can't reach in sword mode, so it's a movement that folds back into scythe mode to scoop me in... Yep, saw right through it! I escaped into the air; come on, bring out the "Holy Sword"!!
"Thank you, Mr. Maxell!!"
Consecutive usage of Multiple Circular Motion and Relative Three-Dimensional Motion! By intentionally exposing my body to the attack's trajectory, I guarantee a semi-automatic evasion, drawing a minuscule circle less than 1 meter in radius tilted at an angle to return to the exact same spot. Alright, go Saina! Blast it... Ah, wait a second, directly behind me!? That positioning is bad; the "Holy Sword" is coming straight down that linear path...!!
"Tch, make it in time!!"
Multiple Circular Motion in reverse! The estimated radius is 6 meters—a massive circumference tilted at a 45-degree angle starting from the ground right in front of Saina...!!
I feel like a substitute for Mr. Solar System, like I'm Pluto. Leaping in front of Saina—who was bracing a massive pile bunker while being reinforced by other skills—I ripped it out of the ground where it was planted, and raised my left hand toward the "Holy Sword" swinging down from directly above onto Saina as if playing in reverse...!!
"Contractor!!"
"Don't worry about it! Blast its tail to pieces!!"
Secondary Defense Behavior. The irregular parrying skill predicated on taking damage successfully deflected the "Holy Sword," nullifying the death sentence thrust upon Saina and me.
But it seems even Mr. Maxell didn't account for His Imperial Majesty's sword. Without me noticing, the "Holy Sword" had accumulated blistering heat, and strictly speaking, I hadn't deflected it so much as altered its trajectory by willingly letting it sever my left arm. With my left arm vaporized from the elbow down, I used my perfectly fine right hand to point straight at the "Holy Sword."
I mean, scorpion tail materials won't drop unless you break the part! Mortal combat, fierce struggle, who gives a damn? If there's an opportunity, a gamer greedily snatches it!
".........Acknowledged: Firing!!"
KYU-GAHHHH!!!! With a deafening roar and an impact that felt like a shockwave was thrown in as a bonus, the sharp tip pressed against the "Golden Age"'s prized "Holy Sword" and detonated. The golden sword, which had been planted in the ground, took the blow from the jet pile bunker right in its midsection, violently gouging and digging up the earth it was stuck in as it was blown away.
But it wasn't unscathed. It wasn't completely destroyed in a single blow, but the "Holy Sword" that had seemed invincible undeniably had───
"It cracked! Can you fire another shot!!"
"Apology: The Class VIII Armament is a rental meant for one-time use. It must be requested again, but... it will take fifteen minutes before a re-request can be made."
"If we can use that thing four times in an hour, that's more than good enough! We're gonna keep pressuring it just like this!!"
"Advisement: However, the Contractor is missing his left arm. I believe further combat is dangerous."
"Don't be an idiot, Saina! We've finally just made the number of swords even. I can punch! I can kick! I can bite! I'm actually pretty good at one-armed swordsmanship, you know!!"
"...Acknowledged: Until this body breaks—" "No, that's wrong, Saina. If we're not both standing safe and sound at the end, it's not a victory. I'm aiming for the highest result even on my first try!"
Equipment change. I can't use the Seiten Style anymore, and since my left arm is physically gone, two-handed weapons are sealed off too. But so what? We have Saina, who can unleash super firepower every fifteen minutes, and I have weapons I can handle with one hand.
I readied Areadbhair in my right hand and turned my gaze to the "Golden Age," who had distanced itself, perhaps wary of attacks targeting the crack in its tail. I don't know if scorpions have emotions, but it has unnervingly calm judgment. However, taking a breath and fixing our stance applies to us too... Oh? It's furiously swinging its tail around......... Every time it sweeps back and forth, light is accumulating! A charge attack! From that position! A long-range attack!!
"Kuh!!!"
Opening the right hand gripping Areadbhair to cancel the equipment condition, I manipulated the window! Deploying the Manifest Wall Shield of the Empress Castle, I caught the flying slash!!
The massive shield, taking a direct hit from the flying slash, was violently blown straight back... but not before I put it back into my Inventoria! I picked up Areadbhair—which was half-buried after melting the ground due to its intense heat—and stepped forward.
"Saina! Reverting tactics! Switch to fire support!!"
"Proposal: Shouldn't this unit take charge of the vanguard?"
"No need to worry about that. From now on, you're the one it's going to relentlessly chase to death."
"..............."
Now then, what should I do? Can I really hold all the aggro with just one hand?
Author's Afterword
He stated in his defense, "Because I just felt like losing it..."
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